Tales from An Ice Cube
by AJ Rayne
Summary: Follows 'Somewhere in Between'. A series of oneshots from the different perspectives of Aang, Zuko, Lu Zuo, Sokka, Katara & Toph, and Azula.
1. The Tale of Aang

**_The Tale of Aang__  
_ 安昂的故事**

In many ways, he was still the little boy who'd come out of an iceberg to face a world destroyed by war; the Airbender who'd wanted nothing more than to go penguin sledding and live a peaceful life with his brothers. Despite being tempered by his experiences and his losses, Aang had retained some of that innocence that still made his smoky gray eyes shine. Even after all he'd seen and done, those eyes shone clearly with his spirit and his faith—save for those rare cases when he was shaken to his very soul.

This was one of those cases.

Those gray eyes were hard as flint as Aang watched them walk down the path towards the house and his hands tightened on his staff. Hakoda had given him a halting outline of what had occurred in the last nine months and he was still numb from the shock.

Katara.

Married.

To Zuko.

As he watched his best friend walk next to his erstwhile enemy, not touching but somehow close to him, he wondered just how much he had missed by leaving.

He'd needed to leave, needed to get away from the pressures and the demands that continually piled up no matter how quickly he saw to them. He'd been tired, that went without saying, but he also felt that he was beginning to slip. He'd stopped looking at people as people and instead saw them as pawns in a larger game whose rules only he knew. It was a cold-blooded way of seeing the world and Aang knew that it was unacceptable. He'd needed to get his perspective back, to take some time for himself in order to be able to make the right decisions again. He didn't regret it and in fact, had felt better than he had in years when he'd decided to return. It was the first decision he'd made in a long time that he'd felt good about…but all that was erased from his mind upon learning that one of his best friends had to sacrifice in order to maintain the world order he thought he'd already secured.

Katara had always been the self-sacrificing type—motherly, some might have called her. He wasn't surprised that she'd gone to drastic lengths in order to prevent the meltdown of the Fire Nation but he was angry that she'd had to. If he'd stayed, things may not have gotten to that point. Aang was confident in Zuko's abilities as a ruler, had seen with his own eyes what the Fire Lord could do, but he also knew how temperamental the populace was. Like their element, Fire Nation citizens tended to react strongly one way or another and it took a strong leader to cool their fires. Zuko did what he could but he was only one man and Azula's presence had been both a gift and a curse, all dependent on her mood. It hadn't come as any surprise that she'd turned—Aang just wished he'd been there to stop her.

Hakoda had hesitated to tell him the whole story, saying that Katara should be the one to tell him and Aang hadn't liked the sound of that. Yet, he waited, understanding.

The door opened and he heard Katara's laughter wind around Zuko's words. The Fire Lord had a hand on her back as he guided her through the doorway and he closed the door behind them. Katara pushed her hood back and Aang saw her flushed face, her bright blue eyes, and thought that he hadn't seen her look that happy in a long time. And Zuko…he wasn't smiling but there was a serenity about him that Aang was surprised to see so soon after a crisis that had nearly toppled him from the throne. They were a strange couple and shouldn't have fit, but without having said a word, or making a move towards each other, Aang's sharp eyes saw that they did…and something inside of him broke.

Zuko was the first to notice him. The amber eyes narrowed, then cooled and Zuko put a hand on Katara's shoulder, nudged her gently so that she turned towards Aang. She'd been smiling, but that smile faded to a dull shock when she saw him.

"Aang," she breathed. "You're back."

Aang stood, regarded them with a coolness that rivaled Zuko's and he fought hard to control the raw emotions that threatened to erupt from a place inside him he thought he'd long covered up.

"Good morning," he said simply.

"Welcome back," Zuko said, studying him with careful eyes. "We've got a lot to talk about."

"So I've heard," Aang replied. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you, Zuko."

"A man needs his rest," Zuko answered. "I hope you found what you were looking for, Aang."

"Thank you."

Zuko glanced sideways at Katara and she returned his look. There was no ignoring the very real concern on his face or the silent communication that passed between them. Aang began to feel more curious than angry now, wondering how two people so different could have a connection like this. It had happened in the blink of an eye, but Aang knew them both well enough to see the exchange. His dark eyebrows dipped, his gray eyes studied, and he watched as Katara responded to Zuko unanswered question with a small nod.

"I have to get ready for a meeting with my councilors," Zuko said smoothly. "I'm sorry to leave you so soon, Aang, but we'll have time to catch up later this afternoon."

"It's alright," Aang assured him, but his eyes were on Katara. "I'll see you then."

Zuko gave him a small bow and his eyes raked across Katara's face for a moment before he brushed past her and went up the stairs. That made Aang's eyebrow arch.

"He's not staying at the guesthouse?" he asked Katara.

"No. He's decided to stay here," she answered, moving into the front room. "The children are here and are comfortable. He didn't want to shake them up anymore than he had to…and he didn't want to be without them."

"That's very…different," Aang remarked. "I wouldn't have thought he'd be comfortable enough here to stay at the Chief's residence instead of the guest house."

"He is," she said simply. "I think he sees this is as the one place in the world outside of the Fire Nation where he and the children can be safe."

"I see."

They sat down on the couch. Katara peeled off her gloves and took off her parka, her eyes averted. Aang saw the crown in her hair, the pendant around her neck, and his heart tightened.

"I'm sorry I left," he said.

Her blue eyes darted up at him and what he saw there surprised him. It wasn't anger, or resentment…it was quiet acceptance. He was looking into the eyes of a woman who walked down an unexpected path and was content with it. For as long as he'd known her, Katara had carefully planned and executed whatever it was that needed to be done. She'd always dived headlong into the next task, the next project, and never stopped moving. He thought of her as someone who thrived in activity and in crisis, a child of war who fought single-mindedly to keep it from happening again.

He could imagine how she must have reacted upon learning her fate, to have control and choice wrestled from her, and was sure she'd fought tooth and nail to prevent it from happening. That had been eight or nine months earlier and he hadn't expected to see her so…settled. She was taking early morning walks with the Fire Lord wearing his crown and his necklace, and not seeming to suffer at all for it. He didn't understand what he was seeing in her now—or didn't want to understand.

"Don't be," she said gently. "I did what I had to do and it worked out in the end."

"I can't even think about what you gave up to become the Fire Lord's wife," Aang said, pained. "What you had to be thinking when you went there and lived there…I know what the Fire Nation is to you, Katara."

"It's that to a lot of people, Aang, but you're the one who kept telling me that we all have to learn to move past the image of a destructive, violent people. I suppose I went about doing that a little more extremely than most people…but it's not the same to me anymore. I've lived there. I've seen what you've seen and I accept the Fire Nation for what it is."

"I'm…I can't…it's just all so surprising for me," he said with a shake of his head.

"You were gone long enough for a lot of things to change," she said, putting a hand on the hand he'd clenched on his lap. "I'm not accusing you. I'm just stating a fact. We had to learn how to live without you and we found a way. The Fire Nation still stands, Zuko is still Fire Lord, and the world is still at peace."

"It didn't have to be you," Aang said, pained. "This wasn't something that you had to do. I know you love working with your father and living here...I know you love your freedom. I don't want this for you. You've given everyone so much already, sacrificed your childhood for us. "

"So did you."

"I'm the Avatar. It's my duty."

"I'm the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. It's my duty too."

She began to tell him what had occurred, from beginning to end and with each word she spoke, Aang could feel himself becoming more tense. Katara tried to keep her voice level, but hadn't been able to keep her own emotions out of the telling and he could hear just how much this experience had changed her. The heat of her words told him how much she cared for the family of which she'd become a part, for the country which she would now help rule. She'd bled for them and had done so without a second thought. And he saw that she regretted nothing.

Aang looked into her face, the face he saw when he closed his eyes and thought of the good things in his life, saw that she'd found something with Zuko that he'd wanted her to find with him and had to look away. She'd been the first girl he'd loved and sometimes, he thought the last. They'd talked about it before when it had become too difficult for him to hide his feelings and they had tried to make something more of their friendship, but had been unable to. The problem hadn't been his.

She loved him, he knew that, but not in the way he wanted her to and he knew she'd tried, but she hadn't been able to stop thinking of him as her charge, as the little boy who whizzed around on an airball and didn't bother watching out for things that were in his way.

And so they hadn't been able to fit.

He'd made his peace with that, somewhat, but hadn't really thought about how he'd feel if she found someone else...and didn't even consider that the someone else would be Zuko.

Zuko was still difficult, often unpredictable, but Aang could honestly say that he liked the other man. He was one of the truly honest people the Avatar had ever met. Zuko made no bones about making his feelings known and though Lady Mai had taught him a great deal about dealing with the court, he played their games using his own rules. Aang knew that if he asked Zuko a question, he would get a straight answer—or a blunt refusal and an explanation that to answer would go against Fire Nation interests.

Marrying Katara had probably not been as difficult for him as it was for her and Aang wouldn't have expected him to change because of it. He certainly hadn't expected the Fire Lord to come to the South Pole and stay to visit with Chief Hakoda instead of sending a fleet to get his children. He hadn't expected Zuko to go out to watch the sunrise with Katara.

Whether or not they knew it, his two friends had defied expectations by not imploding because of the incredible changes to their lives. Aang didn't want to think about why they hadn't broken apart but the thought was there all the same.

He took a deep breath to settle himself, using all his concentration to keep his emotions under his control.

It cost him but for her he would pay.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "What made you stop hating him?"

"Who says I don't?" she tried with a weak smile and when he didn't respond in kind, she sighed. "I don't know. I just...it just got to the point where it was easier to like him than to hate him, to help him instead of hurt him. He's a good man, a good Fire Lord, and despite what he did to us in the past, I understand his reasons now. I understand him."

"You fought with him. Fighting with someone helps you understand," Aang said thoughtfully.

"I saw the way he made decisions and the way he dealt with those under him. He's different now and I guess I'm different, too. We fought a lot at first, but I don't know...it works now. We work well together," she explained lamely, her expressive face telling him that she thought her reasons inadequate as well.

Then again, matters of the heart sometimes didn't translate well into words.

Aang rose and stood by the window. Snow had begun to fall and he watched the flakes dance in the faint breeze as he collected his thoughts. He thought that maybe he would started to hate the Fire Lord, or, worse, Katara, but instead all he found inside himself was a gaping hole where his feelings for her had once been. It was a strange sensation but one he would have to get used to. The years had taught him that there were some things he could fight for and some things he couldn't. Katara was one of the latter and to linger on his pain would cloud his mind and his judgment.

He inhaled once, twice, and with each exhalation, let go of the pain and the hurt until the bands around his heart loosened. They didn't disappear, probably wouldn't for a long time, but they loosened.

"Alright," he said with a monk's simplicity of acceptance. "Alright, Katara."

She stood and went to him. She put a hand on his shoulder to make him look at her.

"I'm only his wife in name," she said but he saw in her eyes that even she didn't believe that anymore.

"Not for long," Aang said and he reached out to take her hand, squeezed it as he smiled sadly. "Not for long."

-fin-


	2. The Tale of Zuko

**_The Tale of Zuko_  
蘇科的故事 **

Zuko tried not to shiver as he sat by the fishing hole. He'd finished mumbling about hardheaded Water Tribe fishermen a half hour earlier, finished cursing Katara's family in general an hour before that, and had lost feeling in his toes long before that. Pride kept him in his seat as well as the fact that his children didn't seem to mind the cold in the least as they ran around with Katara, flinging snowballs at her. He wanted to join them but Katara and Sokka had laughed about his inability to hook a decent sized catch and he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of failing again. Not too far from where he sat, Sokka had two large, silver fish sitting by his boots and Zuko scowled.

If not for the ruckus that Katara and the children were putting up, he was sure he'd have fallen asleep and dropped into the hole. They were proving to be a source of entertainment as he waited for the damn fish to bite. The lines of his face softened underneath his hood as he watched Lu Zuo fall headfirst into a snow bank, his giggles floating in the air along with Katara's as she pulled him to his feet. She dusted him off and let out a shriek when Maiko hit her in the back of the head with a well-placed snowball. And they were off again.

Unbidden, Zuko recalled that he never saw Mai play with their children. She'd held them, told them stories, but was never one to run around shrieking and laughing with them. Granted, it would have been out of character for her to do so, for his first wife had been austere. She was plainspoken, at least with him, and often looked on the rest of the court with disdain, but she'd always carried herself with the proper decorum. Zuko knew that Mai wasn't especially impressed with her position as his Lady but she knew what part she had to play and she played it well. At times, he envied her facility with manipulating situations and people to her advantage. From Mai, he'd learned how to listen to the meaning rather than the words, to watch the alliances between his councilors, his generals, and to stop the ones that would prove to be harmful in the future. It also helped that on occasion, she'd used her needles to get her point across—so to speak. They'd worked well together, but in the beginning, he saw her as little more than his betrothed.

However, in time, Zuko had slowly warmed to her. It came to be that when he saw her rare smiles, his day got a little bit brighter. It came to be that when her hand rested on his arm, he felt her warmth there long after she'd gone. It came to be that he began to look at her as more than his betrothed, than his sister's girlhood friend; she became the woman who curled herself around him at night as if she'd never let go again and the only person who could soothe his anger with words she knew he needed to hear because she knew him better than he even knew himself. It had taken four years of marriage for him to see her as a woman and as his wife, but when he did, he had realized how large a part she played in making him the man he'd become.

It had surprised him when he'd realized how well she understood him and for the first time in his life, he'd felt like he could trust someone besides his uncle. Mai respected his position, but she saw him as more than just Fire Lord. She saw the man underneath and it had made him feel whole when he looked into her eyes and saw that she wasn't looking at his crown—she was looking at him.

He remembered when she'd presented Maiko to him for the first time, the pride in her eyes and the warm smile that had lit up her face. They'd spent many happy moments together by then, but it had been the first time he'd seen her truly peaceful…and felt peaceful himself. Mai had held their daughter close to her heart, and when she'd reached out to take Zuko's hand, she hadn't let go for a long time. That had been the first time he said he loved her and she replied in kind. Life was good for a while, got better when Lu Zuo came along—and then she'd gotten sick.

Zuko remembered the months in which she had faded and weakened before his eyes and he regretted pulling away the way he did. He hadn't been able to look at her and think of her as the vibrant woman who'd stood by his side for nearly a decade. It was even worse that she'd understood. Her death had cut him deeply, had sliced his heart in half. It had taken all he had inside him to get out of bed in the morning and to go about his duties without lashing out at everyone and destroying everything in his path—though he was sure his people whispered that he'd come close to doing just that. If not for the children, he would have been lost and would have turned into the man his father had very nearly succeeded in creating.

A snowball landed on his boot, shaking him from his thoughts. Katara looked slightly embarrassed but Maiko was laughing so hard that she nearly fell over. Zuko tried to glare at them, but couldn't find it in him to do that. Maiko's smile was her mother's and it saddened Zuko sometimes to see Mai in her, but glad that something of his wife was still in the world. And as he nodded at the woman who now wore the Fire Lady's crown, he felt a grain of guilt in his chest that he'd placed his Lady's crown on someone else's head so soon, but he hoped Mai could forgive him because his duties had made it necessary.

Political alliances such as theirs weren't unique in Fire Nation history and Zuko had been able to push his misgivings aside when he'd considered the situation he was in. He'd been willing to marry again because he knew that what he'd had with Mai couldn't happen twice in a lifetime and he could remove his emotions from the equation. He had heirs and the more physical aspect of the relationship could be met in other, more discreet, ways. There would have been no need to even see Katara. It had appeared to be a controlled situation, but the one thing he hadn't factored in was Katara herself.

After her arrival, his misgivings had come screaming back and he'd been even more resolute to keep her as a wife in name only and nothing more. Then, his uncle's idea forced him to spend time with her, forced him to get to know her, and despite himself, he'd started to like her. He'd always thought her an irrational, emotional woman, but he learned that though she put a lot of weight on her feelings, she weighed her heart with her mind. It was an interesting mixture and, he was reluctant to say, worked very well for her.

Katara was so different from Mai, who'd been so cool and calm. While Katara's anger was a sight to behold, she had enough joy inside her to balance it out. She was passionate, vocal, strong, stubborn, and could annoy him with little more than a look. She brought out emotions in him that he didn't know he was capable of feeling again and he'd never met anyone who could make him want to love and kill in equal measures. She'd intrigued him years before when she'd accompanied and protected the Avatar with the same ferocity he'd seen in his own mother. Perhaps that was why he had been drawn to her then, but time and circumstances had kept them from even being in the same room together. He'd learned more about her through Aang and according to his stories, Zuko could hardly believe that her sense of duty, honor, and responsibility were real, but now he knew better. He couldn't put in words what it meant for him to have her fight by his side, to stand as his Lady when all that he was stood in direct opposition to all that she was.

When he'd sat next to her bed after the battle with Azula and Jet, he hadn't been able to stop his thoughts from drifting to a time nearly two years earlier, when he'd done the same with his first wife. He hadn't been able to stop from recognizing that the tightness in his chest was the same, as was the frustration of not being able to do anything to help her. When she'd woken up and come to him, he'd been grateful that he was sitting down. Seeing her, knowing that her first thought upon waking had been a need to see him, had knocked the breath right out of him…and then she did it again when she'd clung to him with the same desperate relief. Kissing her had been natural, something they'd both needed and it had opened a door that he'd been trying so hard to keep closed. Nothing in his life had seemed as easy as it did then, at that moment, and he hadn't wanted to let her go, but reality had a way of sneaking in.

There was no denying that there was something powerful between them but in the cold light of day, he was hesitant to put a name on it. He was hesitant to do many things when it came to Katara because, and he would never admit this to anyone, the strength of his reactions to her raised red flags in his thoughts. He didn't want to make a false move because he was distracted by something she'd done or said. He didn't want to take a risk on something that could be nothing more than an alliance that was forged in a crisis but would unravel at the end of it.

Even as that thought crossed Zuko's mind, he knew that it wasn't true because here he was, fishing pole in hand, watching a Waterbending Master run around in the snow with his children. He was staying in the home of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe at his discretion and though it was strange to be in such close quarters with other people, it was not unpleasant. There was a warmth in their home and an order to their chaos—nothing Katara's family did seemed to be quiet or appropriate but his children, especially Lu Zuo, seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. Though he'd never admit it, Zuko did as well. He couldn't explain to anyone why he'd decided against staying at the diplomatic residence, at least not beyond simply saying that he wanted to be near her and he wanted to see the place from where it was she'd come.

The Fire Nation was waiting for his return and there was a hunt for his sister that he needed to oversee, but here he was, spending one more day in idleness. He'd wanted to leave the day before, but Katara had asked for two more days, citing their need to recover and return with cool heads. It sounded indulgent and irresponsible to Zuko, and he'd told her so. She'd dug in her heels, called him all manner of names, but in the end had won, saying they needed some peace, even for a little while. He'd looked into those earnest blue eyes, glanced at his son snuggled in her arms, and had nodded. She'd hugged him, brushed lips against his cheek, and with Lu Zuo on her hip, ran out into the snow.

Zuko watched as the three fell onto the snow, panting but still laughing, and Katara pulled the children close to her. Maiko rested her head against Katara's leg even as Lu Zuo put his arms around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder. She stifled a yawn and met Zuko's eyes. Her expression was questioning and he was sure there'd been a strange expression on his face, but he shook his head at her and he looked away.

Zuko didn't want to think of the reasons why, but he knew that he needed her. And as the laughter of his children echoed in his head, he knew he wasn't alone in that. He wanted to stand up and go to them, to hold her, but he wrapped his hands tighter around his fishing rod. Jaw set, he stared into the icy waters…but then he turned his head, caught her eye, and smiled back.

-fin-


	3. The Tale of Lu Zuo

_**The Tale of Lu Zuo  
**_**路做的故事**

He didn't mind the cold so much. It didn't feel as nice as the warm breezes that came from the window next to his bed at home, but there was something nice in the difference between cold and hot. He liked differences and change.

Lu Zuo rubbed his eyes and sat up. This bed was a lot softer than the one he had at home, but it was comfortable. It had taken him some time to get used to moving around on it since it didn't seem to want to let him out of its warm embrace, but he was never one to give up easily. With two hands, he gripped the rails that kept him from tumbling off and pulled himself up to a standing position. He started to take a breath to call for someone to take him, but the door opened before he even could.

For the last few days, Ka was the first person he saw in the morning. It was as if she knew exactly when he opened his eyes and when he would need someone. Her voice made him smile and she always returned it with one of her own. He had some trouble understanding her when she spoke, but he understood that she cared, especially when she gave him a hug before she picked him up from his bed.

She always asked if he had a good sleep, that was something he understood even at nearly two years old, and he nodded, resting his temple against her cheek. She wasn't very big, but she was strong and he knew she would never drop him. They went downstairs to the kitchen, one of Lu Zuo's favorite places in the blue house. It was always busy and there was always something to eat. He didn't know if there was such a place at home, but he liked this one just fine. His sister was already there sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of her and So was pouring a glass of orange juice for her. He grinned when he saw Lu Zuo and just like that, Ka passed him on to the man who looked a lot like her. Lu Zuo wasn't sure why they looked alike, but he liked them both.

So put something crunchy and oily in his mouth and he liked it. Ka yelled at him but he only shrugged, said something that made her yell more, and he set Lu Zuo down in his high chair. The little boy blinked his bright amber eyes at the noise and reached for the knot of hair on top of Ko's head for lack of anything else to do. His sister gave him a look that made him want to run and hide, so he stopped. So went back to the oven to finish cooking just as Toph came into the room. She ruffled Lu Zuo's hair, stole a piece of fruit from Ko's plate and sat down with enough force to shake the table. Lu Zuo laughed at her and she grinned back. He thought there was something strange about the way she moved, but he liked the way she took him for rides that had the wind whipping his hair back.

A familiar voice at the doorway had Lu Zuo squirming in his high chair. Da came in with a bald man that the prince recognized but didn't know very well. He seemed nice enough and when he touched Lu Zuo, the little boy always felt a warmth inside him. He smiled at the children then and sat down next to Toph with barely a whisper of sound. Da went around the other side and patted Lu Zuo's head, put a hand on Maiko's shoulder and greeted Ka in the same fashion. Lu Zuo followed him with his eyes, willing him to look down, but Da seemed busy talking to So. They talked a lot.

The bald man came around to Lu Zuo and picked him up from the high chair and set him down on the floor. He had big gray eyes and a blue arrow on his head that Lu Zuo couldn't look away from. That seemed to make the bald man laugh.

"Like all the action, don't you?" the bald man asked.

Lu Zuo's already wide eyes widened even more. He understood.

"That's good considering where you're from. Sokka told me you like playing in the snow and you don't mind the cold down here at all—not like your Dad and sister. That's pretty special. I wonder what you'd say if you could talk. I'm Aang, by the way. You'll probably see me around your place a lot so it's better we get to know each other here."

Lu Zuo turned so that he could face Aang. He put a hand on the beads Aang wore, looked at them curiously, but didn't do more than that. He lifted his hand again and rested it against Aang's orange tunic instead.

"Wow," Aang said. "You're the first kid I've held who didn't try to put the beads in his mouth. Yeah, you're pretty special alright."

Lu Zuo started to smile but Da said something that drew Aang's attention away. Lu Zuo didn't catch it because he was busy staring up at the blue arrow he spied on Aang's hand.

"Sure, Zuko," Aang replied to whatever it was Da had said. "We just had a little chat."

He put Lu Zuo back in his high chair and went back to his seat next to Toph. Da stood behind Lu Zuo and Lu Zuo tilted his head back in order to look up at him. Da finally obliged him and looked back. He smiled a little and put a hand on Lu Zuo's head again. Da never really held him when there were people around, but he knew that Da would be there to put him to bed with a story and a hug. Da sometimes scared him because his face didn't move or hot things flew out of his hands or mouth, but Da never turned that face towards him so he tried not to cry when those things happened. He knew there was something different about Da because his face was different from other people's, but as far as Lu Zuo was concerned, it was everyone else who was strange since they didn't look like Da.

Finally, So finished cooking and they all sat down around the table. It was different from home because he, Da, Ko, and Ung never sat like this, even with Ung doing his silly faces when no one was looking, and he hadn't been used to the noise at first, but he liked it. He liked the sounds of chopsticks clicking and hitting plates, of people talking, laughing, arguing, and he added his own sounds as he slapped at the tray on his high chair. There was no mean lady telling him to be quiet or putting food in his mouth when he wanted to just sit and watch. There was only Ka, sometimes forgetting to feed him when she was talking to Da, and there were times she even missed his mouth because she wasn't looking. It made them both laugh. When that happened this time, Da said something that had her pointing her chopsticks in his face and that made Lu Zuo laugh harder. It was enough to stop them from arguing and they both smiled at him.

Lu Zuo looked at the faces around the table, slapped his hands on his tray and grinned. So looked up from his plate and smiled back. The chopstick Toph was about to stab into So's food halted in midair and she chuckled at him. Aang spread his hand and Lu Zuo found his eyes crossed when a grape floated in front of his face. Ko tickled his foot because she was finished eating but Da wouldn't let her up. Da tried to sit at the table like he sat at their table at home, but eventually gave up and leaned back against his chair. Ka plucked the grape from the air and put it in Lu Zuo's mouth, patting his cheek with a smile.

Yes, he liked it here just fine.

-fin-


	4. The Tale of Sokka

_**The Tale of Sokka**_

**索卡的故事 **

Sokka saw the looks. Since he'd been old enough to notice, women have shown him variations of those looks and he'd responded to enough of them to know what they meant. The problem this time was that his sister was the one transmitting them and the Angry Jerk was the one receiving them. Fire Lord or no Fire Lord, he was still an Angry Jerk. Husband or no husband, there was no way his sister would become the Angry Jerk's bedmate.

They were much too fond of each other for Sokka's liking. There was nothing in particular to note, but he knew Katara well enough to know that she actually liked Zuko. She fought with him, as any Waterbender worth her salt would, but she also touched him at every opportunity. No funny business, much to Sokka's relief, but a simple touch to his hand, his arm, his shoulder. The Fire Lord didn't invite her attentions and, to Sokka's eyes, didn't respond to them either. He wasn't sure what made him angrier; the fact that his sister was wasting her time on the Fire Nation Jerk or that the Fire Nation Jerk didn't think it was worth his time to pay any heed to the most beautiful girl in the Water Tribe. His father thought he'd lost his mind when he started staying over at the residence, but he needed to keep an eye on the situation.

He was absolutely adamant about accompanying Katara whenever Zuko was present. His resolve irritated her enough to result in his feet getting frozen to the ground more than once a day. On the other hand, Zuko didn't seem to mind that Sokka was around. That only irritated the warrior more; it was as if the Fire Lord had deemed him harmless enough to keep around.

Like some sort of pet.

A flying lemur of a sort.

An ostrich horse even.

It was only a matter of time until matters came to a head and after Sokka made sure Katara was busy elsewhere, he decided it was time to have a talk with his brother-in-law, man to man. He knew that Zuko and Aang were at the proposed construction site for the Fire Nation's embassy and he headed in that direction, determination in every step.

He found them in the edges of the city, standing in the middle of an empty lot, deep in conversation about something or other. Sokka was sure it was important but it could wait.

"Hey," he called out.

Zuko and Aang turned towards him. Aang smiled in greeting and lifted a hand in a wave. Zuko merely looked at him.

"Look at this design, Sokka," Aang invited, holding out the scroll in his hands. "Iroh had it sent..."

"If you so much as touch my sister, I'll knock that pointy little hairclip right off your ponytail," Sokka said to Zuko, interrupting his friend.

Zuko's expression was neutral, but his eyes narrowed.

"Has the cold finally gotten to that sorry excuse of a brain you've got?" he demanded.

"What's wrong, Sokka?" Aang asked, concerned.

"Aang, you're Katara's best friend. If we don't watch out for her, this guy is gonna turn her into the captain of his harem," Sokka accused.

"What kind of stories are going around down here?" Zuko suddenly raged, the snow under his feet beginning to melt. "I...don't...have...a...HAREM."

"My sister has a big heart, but sometimes it gets in the way of her brain," Sokka said, jabbing a finger in Zuko's face. "She's protected your country, protected your kids, protected you and you can't even give her so much as a thank you. What the hell kind of treatment is that?"

"What goes on between me and my wife is our business."

"Your _wife_? Now she's _your wife_?"

"She has been for the last nine months."

"And she's been my sister for twenty-six years."

"What do you want?" Zuko snorted, glaring at him. "A plaque? She's my wife now and you have no say in her life."

"She's not like one of your metal monstrosities. Her life is _her _life," Sokka retorted.

"Exactly and I'm in it whether you like it or not. Deal with it."

Sokka had fists up before he even realized it and Zuko jumped to his feet, steam curling up from his raised hands. Aang looked from one to the other, brow furrowed.

"What just happened?" he muttered.

When both men took a step towards the other, he slid between them, one hand on Sokka's fist, the other palm out towards the Fire Lord.

"Wait a second," Aang said, ever the peacemaker. "Katara won't like it if the two of you beat each other senseless over this."

"Out of the way, Avatar," Zuko said, ignoring him.

"Yeah, Aang," Sokka said, not happy to find himself in agreement with his opponent. "There's only one way to settle this."

Aang had the presence of mind to duck when Sokka threw the first blow. He rolled out of the way when Zuko kicked a leg out.

"Is that all you got?" Sokka taunted, hopping on the balls of his feet. "Don't hold back on my account. I've taken Firebenders down before, in case you've forgotten."

"Shockingly enough, I have," Zuko said, flinging a lick of fire at Sokka.

With a yell and the unmistakable puffing sound of parka hitting parka, Sokka threw himself at the Fire Lord. He heard the exhalation of breath as he knocked the wind out of the other man, but also felt the heat of that air graze his cheek. Fist curled, he aimed straight for Zuko's face.

But Zuko wasn't one of the Fire Nation's greatest combatants for nothing. He threw his head forward before Sokka's fist could make contact, his forehead smashing into Sokka's nose. Sokka saw stars and was barely able to dodge the blow to his temple, catching it on his jaw instead. He rolled off Zuko and was on his feet, ignoring the blood gushing from his nose.

"Had enough?" Zuko asked, smirking at him, hands at ready.

"Not until you've got one to match."

"I'll be here in case you need me," Aang called out from somewhere on the sidelines.

Neither man paid him any attention.

"If I had my swords, you'd be in a thousand pieces," Zuko said as he landed a kick into Sokka's gut.

"If I had my boomerang, your head would be facing east and your feet would be facing west," Sokka shot back, grabbing the offending foot and twisting it.

But Zuko turned with his ankle and using Sokka as leverage, he kicked up with his other foot, missing Sokka's face by inches. It had become obvious that Zuko was refraining from bending in order to keep a level playing field and that irritated Sokka. He wanted a real fight and this wasn't going to cut it.

"Time out for weapons," he managed to say as he dodged Zuko's fist.

"It'll take me longer to get my swords than it would be beat you," Zuko said, but he lowered his hands.

Five minutes later, armed, Sokka's nose stuffed with cotton, and with another audience member in the form of Toph, they faced off again.

"It's like watching two monkey-chickens fight over a coconut," she mused, sitting on the stool Aang made for her.

"That's actually a flattering description," Aang replied.

"Hey, try not to kill each other, alright?" Toph said as they circled each other. "We'd have a lot of explaining to do, not only to a country, but also to one angry Waterbending Master if one of you dies."

"Aang will save us," Sokka said and then he leapt.

Boomerang met twin broadswords in midair. Sokka was aware that when it came to style, Zuko had him outmatched, but he hoped that what he lacked in grace, he made up for in righteous indignation...and in the complete trust he had in his boomerang. He blocked a blow that would have surely separated his arm from his shoulder, and his blue eyes laughed into Zuko's. That seemed to enrage the other man and Zuko attacked with renewed vigor. His swords caught the sun's rays and were too fast for Sokka to track, but he'd sparred against Zuko before and he knew what to watch for. The swords moved a great deal faster than the man.

Sokka flung his boomerang and pulled out his bone knife. Zuko smirked at the sight of it against his swords.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," Sokka returned.

Sokka was mobile enough with his single knife that he could get underneath Zuko's guard. Zuko couldn't hide his shock at that, but he was fast enough to avoid getting his parka—or worse—ripped. His swords got close enough to Sokka for him to feel them disturb the air around him. Yet, Sokka kept moving forward, ducking and dodging, weaving in and out of Zuko's center so that the Fire Lord was constantly having to change position. From his gritted teeth and irritated expression, Zuko was not happy about the situation.

"So you want to play with my sister, do you?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Who says I'm playing with her?" Zuko responded with a swing of his sword. "You need a new hobby instead of following her around all day."

"I'm protecting her," Sokka said, catching Zuko's wrist in his hand, twisting it so he dropped the sword. "She cares too much."

Using his trapped hand as a pivot point, Zuko swung his body outward and avoided the knife Sokka thrust towards him. He straightened that same arm and pushed forward, his open fist slamming into Sokka's chest as he kicked Sokka's foot out from behind. Sokka fell, hitting the back of his head hard enough to make his vision gray around the edges. He blinked rapidly as he stared up at Zuko.

"That's her way. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself," Zuko said breathlessly as he stabbed his remaining sword into the ground next to Sokka's neck. "And I'm not playing with her."

Sokka ignored the nausea threatening to make him lose his lunch all over Zuko's boots and ignored the cold steel perilously close to his jugular. He hooked one foot behind Zuko's knee, while his other heel caught Zuko in the gut. Zuko lost his grip on his sword and fell flat on his back. The sword remained upright for a moment before falling on Sokka's face. Fortunately, the flat side rather than the sharp edge hit him, but with his newly broken nose, a feather landing on him would have hurt just as much.

"Are you finished?" Aang asked.

Both men groaned. Then Zuko kicked out with one foot and managed to land a blow to Sokka's hip. Sokka returned the favor by grabbing the offending foot and twisting it viciously to one side hard enough that he was sure he'd sprained Zuko's ankle.

"I'm not playing with her," Zuko repeated tightly, shaking his foot from Sokka's grasp.

Sokka sat up. "Then why do you act like such a...a..."

"Fire Lord?" Toph supplied.

"Firebender?" Aang added.

Sokka considered those answers. Zuko sat up, wincing. He started to stand but seemed to think better of it when his injuries protested.

"I'm not explaining myself to you," he said, wiping at his cut lip.

"I'm her brother," Sokka said.

"We went over that already," Zuko retorted.

"Alright. Well, around here, that means something," Sokka said, standing. "We're family and that means something."

"I know," Zuko said, sounding tired. "Then let me say this one last time _as family_. I'm not playing with her. Alright?"

Sokka stared at him. That was the third time Zuko had defended his intentions towards Katara. He was bleeding, in pain, and more disheveled than Sokka had ever seen him, but there he was, continuing to defend his relationship with Katara. This situation was not one Sokka had prepared himself for and all he could do was stare.

"Sokka," Aang said quietly from where he sat. "I think he's telling the truth."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Avatar," Zuko sighed.

Sokka wiped the blood from his chin and stood up. He went to where Zuko sat and the two men exchanged one long look. Blowing out a breath, Sokka looked away...but held out a hand. There was a beat of hesitation before Zuko took it and he let Sokka pull him to his feet.

"If you so much as make her cry one tear, we'll be right back here," Sokka warned.

"She's so lucky to have a brother like you," Zuko said sarcastically.

He started to move away but Sokka didn't let go of his hand. Sokka cleared his expression of anger and animosity—he only wanted honesty and he made sure Zuko knew that. Zuko started to respond with his usual venom, but the look on Sokka's face seemed to give him pause. He straightened and squeezed the hand in his grip.

"I don't want to make her unhappy and I won't," he said simply.

Sokka let him go. Zuko glanced over at Aang who had a strange expression on his own face as he looked back at the Fire Lord.

"Do you remember what we were talking about?" Zuko asked him.

"Uh...don't you want to get cleaned up first?" Aang asked.

"I'll be fine. We can walk and talk. What you were saying about this..."

They walked off—though Zuko hobbled more than walked, leaving Sokka and Toph in the empty lot. Toph held out a white handkerchief for him to take. He snatched it out of her hand and used it to stem the blood from his split lip.

"You can keep it," she said dryly.

"What's this world coming to?" Sokka said, his voice coming out muffled and nasal. "My sister and the Fire Lord...who's next?"

Toph put a hand on his arm and started to lead him back to the Chief's residence.

"Who knows," she said. "You can think about it when you're getting your nose reset."

Sokka let her lead him.

"Toph...was he telling the truth?"

"You don't need me to answer that for you, Sokka. Just get used to it: your sister isn't coming back to stay."

"That's what I was afraid of," Sokka said sadly.

-fin-


	5. The Tale of Katara & Toph

**The Tale of Katara and Toph **

卡塔拉與托夫的故事

It was something of a tradition to spend at least an afternoon together in relative indulgence at whatever spa was available to them. Her long-ago objections to the practice forgotten, Toph had become something of an expert on spa treatments and was enthusiastic when a new spa opened in the South Pole boasting of a new seaweed treatment. Needing a break from her newly extended family, Katara had been more than happy to oblige.

So, they found themselves lying down on two tables in a steam room, wrapped in seaweed, and in unison, sighed happily when they were finally left alone by the attendants.

The silence was a comfortable one and Toph let herself relax for the first time in a long time. They sat there for countless minutes, simply enjoying the rest, and Toph felt herself slowly drift into sleep. Not wanting to waste precious time with one of her closest friends, she shook herself awake and decided the only way to stay conscious was to open the floor up for discussion. Her bones felt like water and she lazily turned her head to the side to face her friend. She could hear the steady beat of Katara's heart and the long, slow breaths she was taking. Katara wasn't asleep yet, but she was close.

"So...how's life as Fire Nation royalty, Lady Sweetness?" Toph asked conversationally.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be, Lady Bei-Fong," Katara answered in the same easy tone. "It's a lot of work and sometimes I want to retreat into a glacier, but when people are waiting on me hand and foot, I really can't complain. It almost makes up for nearly getting killed by their princess."

"They'll have to try harder then and wait on you hand, foot, and head."

"That's true. And you? How's life as one of the most powerful businesswomen in the world?"

Toph opened her mouth with the intention of giving Katara a glib answer but instead...

"Boring," she replied.

"Boring?" Katara echoed, surprised. "No more companies to take over? New ventures or..."

"Nothing," Toph said, her surprise giving way to irritation and just like that, she was tense again. "I know what time my assistants go to lunch (after I've finished mine and have no more need for them), get my mail, and bring my tea. They do the same thing everyday like clockwork. You know why? Because I do. I have a routine that has been the same for who knows how long. _Boring_. Being grown up isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"That's true," Katara said slowly. "This is the first day in months in which I've had enough free time to indulge myself. I spend a lot of my time going through documents and agreements that Zuko throws my way. He's made up for all the time he lost when he thought I was completely useless and would bring the palace down around his ears if given the chance. When I do have a free second, I work on my bending. Next free second...well a girl needs her sleep."

"Do you miss the old days?"

Toph heard the smile in Katara's voice when she answered and couldn't help smiling herself as she remembered those days. She would trade in her perfumed baths and jeweled combs for just one more day covered in dirt, hungry, aching, and surrounded by the only friends she had in the world.

"Sometimes," Katara said. "Don't get me wrong; I was never happier than I was when the war ended. But, I think back to how we used to sleep under the stars and how we could travel from one place to the next at the drop of the hat without worrying about interrupting someone's schedule. I haven't experienced that kind of freedom since. It was so simple then. The Fire Nation was the enemy and we had to stop them. Now..."

"Reality has a way of making things complicated," Toph remarked. "I can buy whatever I want, I can get most people to do what I want without much of an argument but I can't do what _I _want. At first, running my father's business was a challenge, especially since most of the people he dealt with were men who were not happy about dealing with a girl...not to mention a _blind _girl. 'Course, they came to their senses eventually and then I was just left with a bunch of whiny old men with too much money in their hands."

There was a pause and Toph heard Katara's gentle laugh. She couldn't help grinning.

"Yeah. Poor little rich girls, right?" she said.

"Oh, if the walls had ears," Katara added. "But we're allowed to have our problems."

"I wasn't complaining and I'm pretty sure I'm less embarrassed about my rant than you are about yours. Just needed to air some things out, I guess."

"I complain about my duties but at the heart of it, I do enjoy my work," Katara said thoughtfully. "It's hard and time-consuming but the rewards make it worth the effort."

"Plus, you have a big fat crush on the Fire Lord."

Toph laughed when Katara's heart rate speeded up considerably. It wasn't going quite as fast as it usually did whenever Zuko entered a room or when they got into one of their spats, but it was high enough to amuse Toph. Interestingly enough, Zuko's did the same except he had better control of his tone and more outward reactions to Katara. His breathing was even and his voice cool, but deep down where it mattered...oh, he reacted.

If her life wasn't devoid of such things, Toph was sure she would have stopped her ears the day after their arrival, but she'd kept herself entertained by listening to them closely. She'd been dying to bother one or the other about it. Since it was unlikely that Zuko would indulge her, Toph was sure Katara would more than meet the challenge to amuse a very bored, pathetic billionaire.

"Give me a break," Katara snorted. "I'm too old to have a crush."

"Will it make you feel better if I said he would like nothing better than to..."

"Toph!"

Toph only laughed louder. She was sure that if Katara hadn't been wrapped tightly in seaweed, she would be standing and quivering with righteous indignation, blushing to the roots of her hair. Katara was many things; Waterbender, diplomat, Lady, but above all else...she was Katara.

Some things changed, but most things didn't.

"Oh, relax," Toph chided. "You're not stupid. You know what's happening."

"That doesn't meant I have to like it," Katara muttered.

"Do you want me to call you a liar, too? I can do it. It'll cost me nothing...and even if it did, I could pay."

Katara sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm just not used to talking about him in that way, alright?"

"Fair enough," Toph conceded. "So you haven't..."

"No!"

"Life with Zuko. You could write a book when you're old and gray. It'll sell. I'll publish it."

At that, Katara couldn't seem to help laughing.

"It would have to be in several volumes," she said. "Judging by how things are going, I'll have to hire a team to help me finish the manuscript."

"Is he that much trouble?"

"Yes."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not as much as it used to."

"He must a lot more charming when he's in his home base," Toph ventured.

"He's really not," Katara said, laughter in her voice. "But, he does keep things interesting. He always makes me think. I have to be on my toes when he's around...there's no way I'm going to let him win because my brain wasn't turned on."

"Sounds like a battleground. Though I can't say I'm surprised. I'm more surprised you're enjoying yourself."

"Me, too. Maybe growing up in constant conflict has something to do with it. Sokka, war, Sokka, all the bureaucrats that came through here, and now Zuko...how's a girl supposed to get any peace?"

"At least you're not _bored._."

"Is it _that _bad?"

"Imagine the constraints that others put on you when they expect things from you. Now, imagine them a thousand-fold and you'll be where I am. I don't have any room to move and if not for those little sabbaticals I take, I think I would have lost my mind a long time ago. Nothing is new. Nothing is different. I'm twenty-four years old and I'm done."

"That sounds...terrible."

"Doesn't it?" Toph sighed heavily, feeling incredibly sorry for herself. "So I'll have to live vicariously through you."

"I'm really not that much more interesting," Katara said carefully.

"Really? You're the Fire Lord's new Lady, you're the stepmother to the next Heir of the Fire Nation, and you might actually be in the only marriage in Fire Nation history that involve two people who honestly like each other. Now _that's_ interesting."

"You're pretty focused on me and Zuko," Katara observed suspiciously. "You're not normally curious about things like that and have never been interested in my love life in particular."

"You didn't have much of one before now," Toph pointed out, not liking where this line of thinking was headed.

"What's going on, Toph?," Katara pushed forward, ignoring her. "Did you finally find a suitor you liked?"

"Yeah, right," Toph snorted. "I'm just...I don't know...maybe that's what's missing in my life."

"A Fire Lord?" Katara suggested innocently.

"Forget it. Forget I said anything," Toph said hurriedly. "I was just babbling. Don't pay any attention to me."

Toph could hear Katara squirming on her table and silently prayed that she would fall off, effectively ending this topic of conversation.

------------------------------------

------------------------------------

Katara scooted closer to the edge of the table closer to Toph so she could get a better look at her. Even through the curling steam, Katara could see the horrified expression on Toph's face. A part of her felt bad about putting her friend in a position so uncomfortable as to cause that reaction, but all she had to do was remind herself who she was dealing with. The situation had been in the reverse only moments before and Toph had no compunction about powering forward then so Katara decided she would follow her friend's example.

"Alright. Seriously. Have you met someone you actually liked enough to consider having as your suitor?" she wheedled.

"No," Toph answered after a beat of hesitation.

Katara's eyebrows rose. "Toph...who are you in love with?"

"In love? How did you we go from having a suitor to being _in love_? This always happens with newlyweds: you all think that everyone else should be in love too."

Toph's tone was properly indignant but Katara knew the blush that had rapidly spread over her porcelain skin wasn't due to the steam. She was ready to see if she could get Toph to get any redder.

"Is it some big, brawny Earthbender? The gardener, perhaps. He probably bends all the rocks out of your garden with the greatest of ease..."

Toph fairly shrieked with laughter and Katara couldn't help joining her.

"Or maybe it's the cabbage vendor in the marketplace who has caught your fancy? He's got such a big, strong voice when he sells his wares. Not to mention those big green cabbages he's got in his cart are very tempting. "

"They do feel nice," Toph said with a leer.

Getting into the spirit of things, Katara let her imagination soar. Toph was now also turned towards her, her expression full of glee.

"If not for that pesky marriage contract, I'd throw myself in that cart," Katara mused. "Is it one of your assistants? I'm not one to judge, Toph..."

"When you get going, you get going," Toph chuckled. "And, no."

"It's one of your father's old partners," Katara went on, a sparkle in her eye. "He was a strong guiding hand when you were starting out and your mutual admiration gave way to a slowly growing attraction."

"That's just gross," Toph said, making a face. "Have you _seen_ those men? It would be like hugging a giant piece of leather. Wrinkly, ancient leather."

"I know!" Katara exclaimed, snapping her fingers underneath the seaweed. "It could be Sokka. His rapier wit and scrappy fighting style won your heart over. His steel trap of a brain and nimble, inventor fingers play games with your heart."

She laughed so loudly at the thought of her brother and Toph that it took a moment before she realized she was laughing alone. She glanced over at Toph, saw the frozen look of shock on her face, and something in Katara's mind clicked in place.

"It's Sokka..." she said again, but this time with shock. "Toph..._Sokka_?"

"I guess I'm better than hiding it than I thought," Toph muttered.

"_Sokka_?" Katara couldn't seem to find any other words to say.

"The only challenge I have left," Toph said and her expression became obstinate. "What of it? Why are you surprised? Are we that ill-suited that..."

"No, no," Katara said hurriedly, not liking the break in Toph's voice. "No, Toph, that's not it. I just...I'm just...it's a surprise. I never saw anything between you that hinted at it. I'm just...surprised."

Toph turned her head away, the corners of her mouth turned down.

"Yeah, well, I've felt this way a long time. I thought I'd feel better if someone else knew, but I definitely didn't expect to feel worse."

Katara started to answer, but to her dismay, the doors opened and the attendants returned. She kept her lips pressed tightly together even though she wanted to tell them and hurry up but the two women took their time unwrapping Toph and Katara. Then they took their time giving them massages while Katara only felt herself getting tenser with each passing second.

Finally, they were finished and Toph and Katara were led out into the artificial hot springs. Dimly, Katara marveled that they were able to maintain the heat without melting the ice around and was sure her brother had something to do with that. At the thought of Sokka, she had to bite back a grin. She had to force herself to slide into the water rather than jump into it, in her eagerness to continue their line of conversation. Toph took three times as long in an effort to hold off the inevitable. When Toph was leaning against the warm stones, her dark head tilted back in an attempt to relax, Katara pounced.

"When did it all start? How long ago?" she asked.

Toph didn't open her eyes but her face visibly tightened. Katara held her breath, half afraid that Toph would stand up and leave her there. She started to take it back but then Toph's face cleared and became almost thoughtful.

"Would you believe almost since the beginning?" she answered. "And you can breathe now. I'm not going to get up in a huff and leave you here in quite possibly the warmest place on this ice cube."

"How could I not have noticed?" Katara murmured, more to herself than to Toph. "Since the beginning?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Sweetness, but you were a little distracted by all the goings on when I joined the our merry little band," Toph said matter-of-factly. "Besides having to mother us all, making sure our bellies were full and that we got enough sleep, there wasn't much else you could pay attention to."

"I suppose."

"Look, it's not a big deal. Really. I just have to live with it like I have to live with not being able to see," she said calmly but there was an edge in her voice just underneath the surface that made Katara's heart go out to her.

"That's how you see your feelings for Sokka? As a sort of...handicap?"

"Isn't that what it is?" Toph snorted. "_You _never even considered the possibility. What are the odds that _he _has? I'm just another little sister to him."

Katara wasn't so sure that Toph wasn't far off the mark, but the emotions churning underneath Toph's stoic facade made Katara's wish differently. If she thought about it, it really wasn't that difficult to see her brother and Toph together. They were so alike in temperament...then again, maybe their being together wouldn't be such a good idea. It was just a rare thing to see Toph so vulnerable and Katara wanted to protect her.

"I'll be alright," Toph reassured her. "Believe me. My father is making noises about me finally settling down so that I can pass on our holdings to a direct descendant rather than some idiot cousin. I've already made it my mission to find a man worthy enough to sire my children to make sure all my hard work won't go to waste on some in-bred degenerate. And I know that man won't be Sokka."

The bitterness in Toph's voice made Katara wince.

"Toph..."

"You're lucky that you found something with Zuko, Katara, whatever that something is," she went on. "You fulfilled your duties and at the same time found happiness for yourself. Not everyone can be so lucky. The rest of us have to find happiness elsewhere, somehow. That's just the way this world works."

"Oh, Toph. It doesn't have to be that way, though."

Toph laughed humorlessly. "What do you suggest I do? Woo Sokka? There's a long list of things I would rather do before I get to that and that list includes sitting outside without a parka on and jumping into a volcano. I'll be alright."

"Every time you say that, I feel like I'm getting punched in the gut."

Toph shrugged and the water around her rippled with the movement. Katara studied her, and realized she hadn't noticed until then how worn her friend looked. With her thick midnight black hair wound up around her head rather than in some elaborate hairstyle and the other trappings of her station gone, Toph had never looked more fragile. There was no denying that she was possibly the most powerful Earthbender of this age, but the strong, wiry muscles couldn't hide the vulnerable core of a young woman inside. The Blind Bandit had finally met her match...and he wasn't even a bender.

Katara saw Toph as she was now, saw the part of herself that she tried so hard to hide away. She reached out to take Toph's hand in hers and held fast when Toph tried to tug it away.

"You're strong," Katara said gently. "I know you're strong but sometimes, if you need to be...not so strong, you can come to me. Anytime."

Toph smiled sadly and she squeezed Katara's hand before letting go.

"Sweetness, I don't have that luxury," she said. "But...thank you."

The memories of a decade of friendship flowed between them; two women who could not be more different, but then again, sisters could still get along despite that.

Lowering her head, Toph took a deep breath and gathered herself back in. Katara sank down until her chin skimmed the water's surface and willed her muscles to relax again.

"So," Toph said, raising her head and the cocky half-smirk that always seemed to curve her lips was back. "When do you think you and Zuko..."

Katara bended a stream of water directly into her face and laughed, but her eyes watched and her heart listened. When Toph's laugh joined hers, clear and free, she thought that maybe her friend would be alright.

Maybe.

-fin-


	6. The Tale of Azula

**The Tale of Azula**

阿卒剌的故事

Azula sat up in her sleeping roll, blinking her eyes at the light that managed to make its way from the cave's opening. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and fought back a wave of nausea. Her insides still felt as though they'd been fried and almost made her pity the people she'd shot lightning at once upon a time. Almost. Despite getting a decent amount of sleep, she still felt a weariness in her bones that she knew would not disappear until she was in a place safe enough for her to truly relax.

Wherever that was.

From the color of the sunlight and the bite in the air, she guessed that it was a few minutes past sunrise, a few minutes later than the time she usually rose. With slow but efficient movements, she put away her bedding. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, wincing when she felt a twinge of pain under her ribcage from the simple movement.

She went outside, greeted the rising sun with a reverent bow and sat down. She put her hands on her knees, palms up, and two small flames flickered to life there. When she inhaled, the fires grew, moving as one; when she exhaled, they shrank. She closed her ears to the sounds around her, instead focusing her concentration on the thoughts crowding her mind and she went through the daily task of sorting through them.

It had been three weeks since she'd fled the Fire Nation, the only home she'd ever known. The plan she'd been building had fallen apart before her very eyes, but she regretted nothing. She'd moved at the right time and as a result, her brother was probably at his most vulnerable. From what she'd managed to learn, he was having trouble controlling his court and the councilors jostling for power had taken their battles to the populace. The people were divided over who to support and let their voices be heard. Azula imagined that she had left a large hole in the power structure and acolytes were scrambling to fill it. The councilors she'd controlled were now free to challenge the Fire Lord and did so. It gave Azula some measure of satisfaction to know that her brother had his hands full and was learning the hard way what life was like without her help.

But, she had to tell herself, it wasn't personal.

Azula tended to look at situations in the macro view, rather than the micro, and in her opinion, Zuko had done all he could for the Fire Nation. He had done his part for their country, but it was time for someone else to take the helm and steer them along the appropriate course. It was time to make way for a new point of view. While her brother might not be too happy about being deposed, the Fire Nation would benefit under her leadership. Some had to suffer in order for others to succeed. It was the was the way of the world, as difficult as that truth was to understand.

Azula had always understood it and that knowledge gave her the power and strength to do the things she did. Zuko knew that about her which was why he made her his hammer. For a time it had been enough. She'd managed to find small amounts of satisfaction in her work and enjoyed occasionally rattling Zuko's cage by pointing out that he was ill-suited for work that got his hands dirty. For a time, she'd been content.

Yet, all the while, she moved the pieces on her chessboard and waited for the right time. She hadn't been able to ignore the opportunities presented to her, any more than she could ignore her brother's inability to rule the way their family had for generations. Zuko was more a soft-touch than he cared to admit and while Azula recognized the benefits of a peaceful world, she didn't see any reason for the Fire Nation to kowtow to the lesser kingdoms to achieve it.

The Water Tribe peasants didn't need special trade agreements and the Earth Kingdom didn't need to send their scholars to the most prestigious universities in the Fire Nation and vice versa. All they needed to do was co-exist. To Azula, the way Zuko had opened up their borders dishonored the Fire Nation's ancient culture. They'd survived other wars, a long ago invasion by the Earth Kingdom, and retained their beliefs and traditions. By all rights, their culture should remain pure and untouched. It angered her to see new houses being built in the Earth Kingdom style or art nearly a thousand years old being lent to some museum in the North Pole. If people wanted to see Fire Nation artifacts, they could go to the Fire Nation to see it. Peace was well and good but it wasn't necessary to blur the borders between the nations to achieve it.

Her brother's decisions made Azula feel righteous about her own. She'd timed her actions correctly, just after Zuko had accepted the first group of Water Tribe exchange students into the Royal Fire Nation University. The backlash was quick and sharp and Zuko's hands had been tied. She'd heard the murmurs of others who felt the same as she did and with only a few words, gathered them to her. She'd let her opinion be known without actually voicing dissension, but the court had recognized that brother and sister represented two opposing views on how the Fire Nation should be run. What surprised Azula was that Zuko hadn't banished her to the poles or to the desert as he was wont to do with dissenters. He'd known that to do so would make her more influential. She had to give him credit for actually trying to beat her at her own game.

His marriage to the Water Tribe girl had been a shock to her and a clever move—the fact that he'd been capable of uniting the Fire Nation to the Water Tribe at that level told Azula that Zuko heard the clock ticking on their fragile relationship as loudly as she did. As always, she had kept her eyes and ears open for anything she could use to her advantage. There'd been a number of clashes between Zuko and his new wife that had Azula briefly entertaining the notion that perhaps the Waterbender would do her job for her. The last thing she'd expected was for them to find common ground and, worse yet, actually like each other. The moment Azula had sensed something more between them, she'd realized it was time to go forward with her endgame.

Having laid down the groundwork years before, it had been only a matter of sending a message to the man she'd saved long ago. Jet had been broken in body and in soul when she'd found him but he'd resisted her the first few months of his recovery. She could have easily disposed of him, but even back then, her fourteen year old brain had recognized the advantages of having her own dark soldier. She'd appreciated having Mai and Ty Lee as her own personal army but it didn't hurt to have one more failsafe.

Azula knew how to be patient when the situation called for it. She'd shown Jet kindness, nursed him with her own two hands because no one else was to know that he was in her possession. She'd watched the distrust in his eyes slowly fade away until he looked at her with more curiosity than anger. After that point, it hadn't been difficult for her to convince him to play the role she'd set out for him. It had been only a matter of convincing Jet that working with her didn't mean he was working with the Fire Nation.

Of course, that statement had needed a padding of lies about her motivations and nearly epic stories of how her family, especially Zuko, had wronged her. Jet had proved to be just as easy to manipulate as Zuko, his emotions as close to the surface as her brother's. When she'd been satisfied that he understood what she needed of him, she'd set him free, only opening up the lines of communication when she'd needed to make sure he still knew what was expected of him. And when it had been time to call on him, he came.

For someone known for control, Azula had reveled in the chaos she'd created. Watching Zuko struggle to keep the nation together, going from one crisis to the next until his eyes glazed over with exhaustion and frustration had spurred her on. She'd known he'd suspected her, but she'd gone about her business even as she'd fed information to her dark soldier, instructing him to destroy and deface the heart of the Fire Nation. It had pained her to do so, but it had all been necessary to achieve the ends she desired. The damage they'd done was no worse than the damage Zuko himself had done during the decade of his reign.

Now, if only the Waterbender hadn't healed, if only her brother hadn't come upon Jet, Azula would have been sitting in the Fire Lord's throne. It had been sheer will power that got them out of the Fire Nation in one piece. The boat Azula had prepared just in case took them away from the burning fires of her home and towards a future she had been ready for but never wanted to face. Despite thinking of every possible outcome, Azula found that she hadn't been completely prepared to deal with this particular one.

Exile.

Traitor.

The designations didn't bother her. After all, wasn't the present Fire Lord once known as both? A wider view would forgive her her actions just like it forgave Zuko his. It amused her that she now found herself where he had been years before but without the material advantages with which he'd started off. All she had were the clothes on her back and her bending. She'd had to do things that she never would have imagined herself doing. It was a humbling experience and not one she wanted to experience for much longer. They were three days away from their destination and she was counting down the hours. She didn't like the situation but she knew how to work with it. She'd planned for it. This was far from over and she knew that the next time she would see Zuko, it would be for the last time.

A part of her was saddened by that thought. For all his faults, he was still her older brother and if he'd only step down for her, they could continue their contentious dance. He had his moments and their conversations—some may call them arguments—sometimes gave birth to new ideas and new methods of rule. Together, they could have ushered in a new era for a more powerful Fire Nation at peace. If he'd only step down for her. The thought of Maiko growing up with Katara for a stepmother made Azula's toes curl. She'd actually considered taking the little princess with her, but common sense prevailed as traveling with a three year old was not something she was equipped to handle. There were so many possibilities for a brighter future...if Zuko would only step down for her.

She supposed she couldn't expect anything less from him. She wondered if he would have had she been a more accommodating sister, had they grown up playmates and friends rather than the opposite. But she couldn't change herself or their past any more than he could. They were destined to be at odds, had been since she'd learned that fire did whatever she wanted it to do with little more than a flick of her finger while he had to struggle every step of the way. The lands their father had left them wasn't big enough for the two of them.

Though her face was fixed in a scowl, Azula kept control of the flames. She'd never lost control of her fires and never would. She closed her hands, snuffing them out with a puff of smoke. She moved back to the mouth of the cave where her companion was still fast asleep. The years Jet had spent living like a vagabond had allowed him to find comfort no matter where they set up camp and was the one thing about him that Azula envied. She studied his scarred face, her eyes tracing the wiry form underneath the blanket, and wondered if it was time to let him go.

Jet had not yet forgiven her near betrayal of him in the Water Temple and he had not yet recovered from the shock of learning his erstwhile girlfriend was now the Fire Lord's new Lady. He was wild and unpredictable, and Azula didn't need any more unforeseen complications. The only reason she'd endured his sullen silences and angry glares was because she knew she couldn't complete this alone. She was injured and she needed his resources. She just had to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't turn on her. Jet was a dangerous pet to keep but she needed him...for now.

With one booted foot, Azula kicked at the bottom of his feet, startling him awake.

"This isn't a vacation," she said by way of greeting. "Get up."

His response was turning his back. Azula rolled her eyes. Every morning it was the same routine and neither of them was willing to back down. To cool her slowly rising temper, she reminded herself that she'd been born a Princess and she would die a Fire Lady; what happened in between would be lost in the pages of history. Pointing two fingers at him, she shot a thin line of fire at the rock underneath him, heating it up until he squirmed uncomfortably.

"Get up," she said again.

"What for?" he muttered. "If you get started now, I'll catch up with you in two hours time with the speed you walk."

Azula gritted her teeth. "If you'd like, I could even things out so that you won't have to walk alone."

He sat up and ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. His perpetually narrowed gray eyes were appraising as he studied her standing over him. Azula didn't like the shiver that went up and down her spine at his look. It was further indication that the time for them to part was rapidly approaching.

"You look like hell," he observed, standing and pushing past her to grab his canteen.

"Neither of us are going to win any beauty pageants," she said, simmering. "Just get your things and let's go."

He snorted but didn't argue anymore. Not bothering to wait for him, Azula shouldered her sleeping roll, pulled up her hood, and set out into the seemingly endless tundra that her sister-in-law once called home.

-fin-


End file.
